About The Show

About Esme & Roy
Curriculum
Esme and Roy About

About Esme & Roy

Download PDF

Welcome to the world of Esme & Roy, where playtime is the best time! Following a dynamic pair of monster babysitters – a young girl, Esme, and her monster best friend, Roy – this creative show invites children into a richly textured world of monster fun.

In each episode, Monster Sitters Esme and Roy harness the power of play to help solve their little charges’ monster-sized problems. The countless silly situations the friends get into along the way will have kids laughing as they learn.

Esme and Roy live in bustling Monsterdale, where the colorful streets are always buzzing with monsters of all shapes and sizes. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that homes in Monsterdale reflect the monsters who live in them: flying monsters live in homes like Victorian birdcages, while aquatic monsters live in houses shaped like giant fishbowls. A little house in Esme’s backyard serves as Monster Sitters’ HQ, complete with a comfy chair for Roy and a habitat for his monster pet, Dumpling.

Good feelings abound in Monsterdale, but Esme & Roy also shows real feelings: when little monsters face relatable challenges, like losing a favorite toy or getting scared of a thunderstorm, Monster Sitters Esme and Roy use mindfulness strategies – and a little imagination! – to help them regulate big feelings and proceed with calm confidence.

The respect and friendship between the unlikely duo of Monster Sitters – and their affection for the little monsters in their neighborhood – is at the heart of Esme & Roy and sure to delight little viewers while they learn!

Esme & Roy comes from Sesame Workshop, the makers of Sesame Street — and it offers all the humor, learning, and trust synonymous with the Sesame name. Dedicated to helping kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, Sesame Workshop has been making a real and lasting difference in children’s lives for almost 50 years.

Esme and Roy

Curriculum

With loveable characters who spark strong emotional connections among preschoolers and parents alike, Esme & Roy invites children into a colorful world where even the littlest monsters can overcome big challenges together. Esme & Roy uses the power of play to help younger monsters through familiar situations like trying new foods, or feeling frustration with a sibling. Children will look up to their new favorite monster-sitters as positive role models, learning how to manage strong emotions with simple mindfulness practices alongside Esme and Roy’s charges.

 

Learning Through Play

Esme & Roy’s primary education goal is to model how children learn best through play, fostering a range of play patterns using everyday objects to extend learning across content areas.

When children play, they are:

  • Cognitively, physically, and socially engaged
  • Curious and ready to try new things
  • Motivated by their own interests, which makes play meaningful

 As play guides, Esme and Roy set up different types of play to solve problems and help the little monsters learn a range of lessons while keeping their interest through play.

 

Mindfulness

The secondary education goal of Esme & Roy is to model strategies to help children manage their emotions. When the little monsters experience big feelings like worry, frustration, or fear, the Monster Sitters use an array of calm-down strategies to help them regulate their emotions so they are ready for playtime.

These simple strategies include:

  • Belly breathing: Slow, deep breaths, taken in through the nose and out through the mouth;
  • Hugging oneself
  • Glitter jars: Calming the body and mind by shaking a sparkly snow globe-like jar, taking deep breaths while watching the glitter swirl and slowly fall;
  • Self-talk: Using positive statements to remind kids of their strength and capability;

…and they’re easily repeatable at home, even for very young viewers.

Episode Info

Download PDF
Esme and Roy play with Fig outside
Episode 101 – Monster Trucks!

Esme and Roy are having a blast watching Tillie, a car-loving Plink Monster. When bath time rolls around, Tillie refuses to hop in the tub! Thankfully, Esme and Roy know that with a little imagination and a few pool noodles, they can make bath time the best time!

Esme and Roy offer vegetables to a little green monster
Lunch Crunch

It’s lunchtime at Simon’s house, and Simon can’t wait for Esme and Roy to fix the only meal he eats: a fish and stinky cheese sandwich. When the family pet gobbles up the last of the fish and stinky cheese, Esme and Roy use their love of art to get Simon to branch out.

Esme and Roy dance for a little blue monster who has puffed up
Episode 102 - Dark and Stormy Knight

A thunderstorm is coming, and Esme and Roy are watching the huggable Snugs. He’s absolutely terrified of storms, and when Muzzywump monsters get scared, they puff up. Soon, Snugs is the size of a house! Esme and Roy use their quick thinking to calm Snugs back to his regular size.

Esme, Roy and two little monsters dress up as pirates in front of a pirate background
Two Can Play at That Game

Bleederblop Monsters Frank and Franny are eager to play, but each one wants to play a different game: Frank wants to play ballet, while Franny wants to play pirates. Esme and Roy try to juggle both games at once, but it proves to be more exhausting than they imagined. With a little teamwork and imagination, Esme and Roy have just the solution!

Esme and Roy are food shopping at a grocery store
Episode 103 - Supermarket Match

Esme and Roy are watching Tillie at the supermarket when Tillie starts grabbing anything and everything in the store! Esme and Roy use their knowledge of matching – and some awesome teamwork – to create a game that’ll focus Tillie’s energy and make grocery shopping the best part of the day.

Esme looks at a glitter jar with a cute, purple monster
Imitation Frustration

It’s a beautiful day, so Esme and Roy take Hoozlewoo siblings Sid and Lucy to play in the park. But when Sid starts copying everything Lucy does, Lucy gets frustrated—she wants to do her own thing! Esme and Roy flip the script with a playground game that helps everyone have a great time!

Esme and Roy set up a puppet theatre inside
Episode 104 - Noisy Naptime

The Monster Sitters are watching the musically-inclined Ooga monster, Hugo, while his baby sister Fig gets her nap. But Hugo has a hard time staying quiet! Esme and Roy find a low-key game for Hugo so his baby sister can get her beauty sleep.

Roy plays train conductor in a cardboard train, pulling a wagon of monster friends behind him
The Hugo Express

When Esme and Roy get to Hugo’s house, his father tells them that they need to keep the house extra clean. But when the three get wrapped up playing trains, they make a huge mess! Can the Monster Sitters find a fun way to clean up before Daddy Ooga gets home?

Roy is dressed in pink pajamas and Esme is dressed as a doctor, giving him a check-up with a monster friend
Episode 105 - Gentle, Gentle

She’s strong! She’s mighty! She’s…teeny tiny? Esme and Roy are watching littlest Ooga monster, Fig, who is very strong for her small size. When Fig comes across Roy’s monster pet, Dumpling, she wants to squeeze Dumpling too tight! Esme and Roy use their quick thinking – and a guinea pig costume! – to show Fig the strength in being gentle.

Esme and Roy are dressed as detectives, looking for clues
The Case of the Missing Cuddles

Esme and Roy are watching Snugs one evening. Just before bedtime, they realize Snugs’s favorite stuffed toy is missing – and Snugs can’t sleep without it! With a little ingenuity and some Sherlock Holmes flair, Esme and Roy search for the missing toy.

Esme and Roy are dressed up as a prince and princess while Roy hugs a monster friend
Episode 106 - Game Plan

It’s time for Monster Scout Camp, and Esme and Roy are helping Tillie get ready for her first day. But Tillie keeps getting distracted – she wants to keep playing! Thankfully, the Monster Sitters know just the game to get Tillie focused while still having fun …but will Tillie make it out the door before the bus arrives?

Esme stands in front of three little monsters with her hands on her hips
A Way to Play

Simon and Tillie are coming by Monster Sitters’ HQ for a playdate, but the neat-and-tidy Simon and the rambunctious and messy Tillie have trouble finding a game they can both enjoy. Thankfully, Esme and Roy find a fun (and colorful!) solution to help them find the perfect balance of messy and neat.

Esme and Roy hold microphones and pose on stage with four little monster friends
Episode 107 - Sing Out, Roy!

It’s time for the Monsterdale Talent Show! When Roy’s stage fright causes him to freeze up, Esme uses her creative thinking, teamwork, and a dash of crafty flair to get Roy ready for his big debut.

Esme and Roy hold up picture frames and look off-screen
Monster's Little Helper

Roy and Esme meet the quirky and enthusiastic Lottie, who wants nothing more than to be a monster sitter herself! But when Lottie accidentally shrinks baby Fig while they’re out on a “mission,” Esme and Roy need to use their powers of observation and love of games to help Lottie find Fig and get her back to her regular size.

Esme and Roy are dressed up as astronauts, running outside with two monster friends
Episode 108 - Hugo, We Have a Problem

It’s a rainy day, so Esme and Roy are taking Hugo and baby Fig to the planetarium! When Fig refuses to put on her raingear, Esme and Roy use their love of play and crafty know-how to get Fig ready in time for blast-off.

Esme and Roy read books to a young, green monster
A New Chapter

Esme and Roy are watching Simon, who can’t wait to read the next book in his favorite series. But Grammy Swoozle accidentally takes the book with her when she leaves! Esme and Roy use their imaginations and love of stories to find a solution where everyone lives happily ever after.

Two women and two young children smile with Rosita outdoors.

Want more Sesame? Great news!

Sign up for our newsletter and get fun videos, great music, resources for parents and powerful stories about how we're helping children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

By signing up, you will receive updates on our work and ways you can support it. 

By signing up, you will receive updates on our work and ways you can support it.